Lollipop Notebook
by Chocomint3
Summary: NO ONE IS READY FOR HIGH SCHOOL! OKAY? Here, take a slice of these people's lives... Trying to conquer her timidness, Masuda Rin calls a mysterious phone number written in her library book and meets Kagamine Len, a short-fused boy who wants to express himself better. Made with love, research, and a lot of inner anguish. Dedicated to my friend novakiaki—a warm welcome back to ffnet!
1. Chapter 1

This story is a welcome back gift to my friend novakiaki! I'm excited to write it. Since I already ran this past her beforehand, I'll ask her to enjoy it again. ^^;; Everyone, please enjoy! XD

* * *

**Friday, November 8th, 2013.**

Len pushed aside his saccharine drink and laid his head on his arms. Stupid Kaito . . . asking him to come out to this stupid cosplay cafe or whatever and then not showing up . . . .

"Should we bother him?" A slightly husky voice, girlishly high pitched, sounded from somewhere behind him. "I mean, he's sleeping . . . ."

He groaned and extracted his right hand from underneath his head, flopping it in the general direction of the voice. "Leeb m'alone."

An odd giggle from next to him, from a different person. An unwelcome, larger hand laid itself on his. "Aww, maybe poor Master got stood up." A lazy falsetto, heavy with an lilting sultriness, wormed its way into his head—that voice . . . oh, it couldn't be—

Len jerked upright and promptly splashed his drink onto the older student. "Dammit, Bakaito! I swear, if you don't stop doing that—" Kaito ignored him, calmly stripping off his now stained top and throwing a quick request to the pink-haired waitress (a bunny maid?) beside him. Irritation mounting, Len continued, "Oi, it's creepy! Are you listening?! Do you know how long I waited in this crappy place?! Kaito, hey! Stop talking to her and listen to me, will you?! Mahh! Why do I even put up with you?" Giving up, Len pursed his lips and resumed his old position. "Anyway, it's not like I even need your help . . . ." He glared the pastel pink wallpaper. The little cats dancing across the wall tried too hard to be cute, mocking him with their chipper smiles, and those stupid puppy and bunny condiment shakers were overrated. How could he have ever thought them appealing?

Having seen the waitress off, Kaito clicked his tongue and slid into the seat opposite Len. He dropped his sullied shirt and tie onto the table with a rustle. About time. Len took a breath, intending to express his disgruntlement, but Kaito spoke first. "I'll get to the point, then. You haven't learned a thing, Len-chan." Pressed into his cheek, Len's fingers dug crescents into his palms. "And it's been a few months already. I'm a bit disappointed."

His heart jumped into his mouth and twisted in anticipation of the parting sure to come. Nevertheless, he scoffed into his arm, "W-well, it's hard for me to change, okay? It's not easy at all like it is for you! And you haven't taught me anything, idiot. All you're doing is playing with me and acting like I'm not a guy!"

A hand ran through Len's bangs and came to a rest at the top of his head. "It's hard for me to change too, Len-chan, and I know you're trying. But, you've got a good handle on acting mean, so it shouldn't be this hard for you to act kinder." The warmth withdrew. Instinctively, Len wished it back. "I can't help someone who won't listen. I've been pulling out of club meetings and study sessions to work with you, you know? And it's starting to show. Please understand; it's troublesome for me to keep tracking you down for these things—I have a reputation to keep up with."

Len bit his lip and exhaled, attempting to compress strength into his voice. He'd overstepped his bounds again. He mumbled, "I-I understand. A-and . . . I . . . I'm sorry for troubling you, Kaito-senpai. It . . . I'll try harder, I really will. And, and, sorry—sorry for pouring the drink on you; it was—"

A chuckle dashed the rest of the words from his lips.

Len scowled in realization. "Bakaito . . . didn't I tell you already? I don't appreciate your acting." Manipulative jerk. One day, when he was nicer . . . . He sat upright and, noticing Kaito's lack of any top but an unzipped jacket, hastily directed his attention to the painting behind Kaito's head. "Stop smirking, you idiot."

"No promises. Give me your phone number, alright? I'll call you so we can arrange meetings more easily, even though . . . heh, I'll talk with you about that later, alright?"

Len rattled off his phone number and waited for Kaito to take out a pen and write it down somewhere. When he didn't, Len pursed his lips and said, "At least get out your phone! As if you can remember it without writing it down—"

Kaito grinned. "You forget I'm number one in my class, Len-chan." He repeated it flawlessly. "If I couldn't remember a mere nine digits, I'd have a lot more trouble studying for exams." He gathered up his clothes and stood up. "Anyway, I'm taking my leave now. Wakusei-chan is taking a long time to find my clothes. Ja, I'll text you later. And," he frowned half jokingly, "You owe me for ruining my clothes. Don't forget!"

* * *

Kaito wandered into the clubroom and took a seat next to Miku. No one else was in sight, and Miku had borrowed his book. Well, at least she'd waited for him. "Hey. I'm back."

"Welcome back. You're late." Miku readjusted her glasses and turned the page.

Kaito stretched his arms over his head to avoid having nothing to do, letting out a loud yawn. When did he start not having things to do? "Hey, Miku, let's commence the next stage." He slumped forward and idly traced the swirls in the wood. That one looked a bit like a tiger . . . .

Miku slid him a sidelong glance and returned to her book. "Don't be overdramatic, Bakaito. Len's not an experiment or a product, right?"

". . .Yeah, you're right. He isn't." And that squiggle—he stabbed it—looked a bit like a snake.

Another silence fell. The heater buzzed on, adding to the rustle of wind brushing against the windows. Miku flipped another page and bent lower to make a quick annotation. Propping up his head with an arm braced against the table, Kaito watched the sunlight filter through her hair and fall across her face. Her eyelashes were thickened with mascara—when did she begin wearing makeup? Was it for herself, or . . . was it for someone else?

"Hey, where're Luka-chan and Meiko? And, ah, can I have my book back?" A smile tugged at his lips. Aria would be irritated to see writing in it. But then again, their club had a track record of not caring much about that.

Miku hummed noncommittally. "They left to spend some time together. Get some ice cream, I think."

Kaito rolled his shoulders and leaned back, unable to suppress a grin. "Is that so? That's no fair at all!" Getting ice cream in autumn was something only he out of their club members would do. Surely . . . . His smile softened. "Hey, let's go get some as well, Miku."

She closed the book carefully and slid the book over to him, a small smile adorning her face. "Here."

Len's phone number was already slipping from his mind, so he said, "I have to do something first . . . ." He flipped the book open and, borrowing Miku's pen, scribbled down Len's phone number in the margin. "Free listener, nine to midnight, no strings attached, anonymity unless otherwise requested . . . on page 22 . . . okay!" He stood up and tucked the book under his arm.

Miku had dropped her glasses so that they hung around her neck (Kaito had always thought eyeglasses necklaces were cool) and stood waiting at the doorway. They exited the classroom and headed down the hallway. Miku trailed her gaze down to his shoes and back up to his face. Kaito schooled his expression into one of nonchalance, curling and then relaxing his fingers. He'd been expecting this.

"So, what's the story behind what you're wearing?"

* * *

**Tuesday, November 12, 2013.**

"M-Miku-nee," Rin protested feebly, shifting on the bench and twisting the hem of her skirt. "Are—are you sure it's okay?"

Miku smiled. "Yeah, it's fine." She thumbed through the application papers quickly and handed them back to Rin. "It's good. When you make the harmonies, I'd love to accompany you. You'll definitely be able to join that club."

"Th-thank you . . ." Rin ducked her head, flushing at the praise. "Sorry for troubling you, Miku-nee—"

"It's no trouble at all, Rin-chan." Miku bit into her tea egg, savoring the salty sweetness. Even though autumn was too windy and red-brown for her, autumn tea eggs were the best, no contest necessary. "But, do you remember . . . ?" She turned to Rin with a goodnatured smile.

"A-ah! I'm sorry! I mean, I'm not sorry—ah, no, I didn't mean that—" Rin stopped, took a deep breath, and started again. "I mean—thanks very m-much for your s-support!" She stood up, bowed quickly, and returned to her seat.

Listening to snatches of chatter carried on the wind, they ate in a comfortable silence and watched the leaves swirl toward the ground at every tremor that passed through the branches.

"A-actually, if I could trouble you some more, I-I wanted to practice talking to strangers . . . ."

Rin exchanged her application papers for a book from the bookbag at her feet and flipped to a page bookmarked with a yellow tab. "This—this phone number . . . ."

Recognizing Kaito's typeface-like printing, Miku pushed down a laugh. That book was the one Kaito had turned in to Aria a few days ago! To think that Rin would get her hands on it right after . . . . "Free listener, mmm. Sounds like someone who'd do well in my club. If you ever get their name," she winked, "refer them to me! I'll totally convert them!" Oh, that sounded a bit like Kaito. Miku toned down the upbeatness in her voice. "Talk to that person tonight, okay? It's perfect practice, because you don't even have to keep talking to them."

"B-but . . ." Rin looked down at the number and ran her finger across the script. "I-it's so convenient . . . s-so, m-maybe I shouldn't . . . ."

Miku nudged her. "Isn't that the opposite of what you're supposed to say, like a 'normal' person would say? It's convenient, so you should, right?"

"I-I'm not a regular p-person, though . . . ."

Miku laughed. "Don't think about it so much and just do it, okay? It's easier if you don't dwell on it before doing it. You're strong, aren't you? You'll do fine. Oh, and remember to keep your voice louder, too."

Rin smiled, laughing a little. "O-okay. Thanks for your support. Even though it's harder to do it, I-I'll do my best!"

* * *

Rin fell back from her laptop, landing with a ploof on her futon. "Ahh, I can't believe it! It's already eleven . . . ."

She eyed her phone and then the source of her procrastination: the book propped against the far wall of her bedroom and the invitation it contained. She'd wanted to continue reading it, but every time she looked at it, she remembered how she was supposed to call a complete stranger, talk to them, and not make a stupid fool of herself. As if she could do that! She stuttered around the few friends she had and cried for no reason at all and said sorry much too often, and now . . . .

But Miku had such faith in her and was definitely going to bring it up tomorrow . . . .

Ahh, but she didn't want to bother the person on the other side! It was already really late, and maybe they were . . . maybe they were already sleeping! And it wouldn't do for her to wake them up, and inconvenience them more! Rin grinned at the gleaming white ceiling, but dropped it soon after with a sigh.

But . . . actually, that wasn't likely at all. Most of her classmates stayed up late, studying or playing games or going out, and their school wasn't known as the night oil burner for nothing. Rin picked up her phone and stared at the glowing numbers on its screen. She should just call and get it over with. No strings attached, right? She never had to speak to the person ever again. There were no consequences.

She punched in the numbers with shaking fingers. (Memorizing it on accident really wasn't a good thing, was it?) The call dial tone began droning through. Time slopped by like tacky glue from an upended bottle. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay . . . don't need to talk to them again . . . don't think about it . . . . but it's so late!" Rin threw her hands into the air. "Ahh, they're definitely, definitely, _definitely_ sleeping!"

The phone was already on the fifth ring, and they hadn't picked up yet! There was no other explanation: she had to—absolutely _had_ to—be bothering them! She punched the end call button and dumped her phone onto the bed, stretching and massaging her numbed legs in attempt to placate the bursts of sparks shooting up them. A thought struck her.

What if they'd already woken up?! Then, it would be even more rude! Ahh, she had to call back and apologize! She grabbed her phone, dialed the number again, and jumped up, gingerly pacing the room on needle ravaged legs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—"

"Hello?" A young boy's voice, staticy and slurred with sleep, burst from the speaker. What, already?! Too fast!

"H-h-he—ah!" She lost her balance and fumbled the phone in her attempt to stay upright. It flew out of her hand and, upon landing, closed on itself, hanging up with no hesitation. "Ah, no, don't do that!" Mumbling frantic no's and please's, Rin hobbled over to the phone and scooped it up. "I have to—have to apologize, I already look like such an idiot—"

But wait.

She was anonymous. Rin grinned shakily, absently rubbing her legs to speed up the leave of the fading sparks. She didn't have to call back! She could . . . she could forget about this and go to sleep! And tomorrow, she could go about school as usual, blending in with the scenery, and during lunch . . . oh. The smile fell off her face. During lunch, Miku would ask her . . . Miku-senpai would ask her about it. She twitched a thumb toward the call button, imagining the disappointment on Miku's face. Oh, she had to call back; she absolutely had to—

Her phone lit up, jangling out a jaunty electropop beat. Squeaking, she started and dropped it again. That guy, he called back?! B-but, she wasn't ready yet! What was she going to say?!

But she had to, _had to,_ answer—she hastily picked it up, flipped it open, and pressed the answer call button. And pressed it again a second later when her thumb spasmed, ending the call. Staring in disbelief, she sank to her knees and let out a frustrated yell.

Her luck was the absolute worst! M-maybe she'd angered someone last week, when she prayed with hands sticky with red bean paste?!

"Rin-chan, what are you doing?" Lily poked her head into the room, hair half dried. Her eyes locked onto the phone in Rin's hand. ". . . A phone call?!" She pranced into the room, kicking up the hem of her bathrobe, and landed with a fwump in front of Rin, swiping the phone away from her. "Rin-chan, are you calling someone?! Waaah, let me see! Who's my little sister calling, hm?"

"D-don't! Lily-nee!" Rin knocked the phone out of her sister's hand. "I-it's nothing, really!"

"Ahh, you're no fun." Lily frowned, but stayed where she was.

Rin exhaled slowly, releasing pent up jitters. "A-anyway, your hair isn't completely dry yet. It's important to dry it before going to bed, right?"'

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that. But don't expect me to forget this, alright? I, your big sister, remember everything!" The door closed quietly with a click, and a loud silence rushed in to take her sister's place.

Rin retrieved her phone and the book. Flipping her phone open and staring at her call history, she heaved a sigh. Maybe she should have told Lily . . . . She turned her phone setting to silent and packed up for the night. She had failed . . . . What was she going to tell Miku?

* * *

**Wednesday, November 13, 2013.**

Len stalked over to Kaito's table and dragged him out of the chair. Complaints fell from his lips like water off a cliff. "Kaito, you idiot! I fell asleep in class because you called me so late, and then I couldn't go back to sleep! And you kept calling me, and you hung up on me, twice! I even called you back! And, what was with that stupid loud noise right before you hung up?! I _really_ couldn't fall asleep after that! And, eleven at night? Can you be more insensitive?!"

"Keep your voice down, Len-chan. Library, remember?" Kaito looked around and made eye contact with that pink haired waitress from the cafe. So she also worked as a student librarian? She glared at Kaito and motioned him to quiet down. He smiled and gave her two thumbs up. Len scowled. What a fake. Turning back to Len, Kaito said, "I didn't call you last night. I may like messing with you, but I know how important sleep is. Shouldn't you go through the options before assuming it was me? I'm a little hurt, you know."

Len glared out the window, crossing his arms and willing himself not to flush red. "W-well, besides my family . . . phone number to."

Kaito leaned forward. "What? I know we're in the library and I asked you to be quieter, but—"

"I _said_,"—Len turned his glower to the bookshelf behind Kaito, ignoring the heat on his cheeks—"that besides my family, you're—you're th' only one I gave my phone number to."

A slow silence. Kaito, for once was at a loss for words.

"Stop staring at me like that! I-it's not that surprising!"

Finally, Kaito laughed. "I'm honored—really truly happy to hear that."

Len clasped his hands together and bit the inside of his cheek. The corners of his mouth spasmed upward despite his efforts to maintain a displeased expression. Of course, he scoffed at himself. Of course he'd not be able to act when it really mattered. (But, was it really a bad thing?) Kaito continued, "Though, actually, someone else has your phone number now. A stranger, but someone definitely in this school. So, they must have been the one to call you."

"What?! Bakaito, what did you do?!"

Someone coughed next to them. Aria, who had moved from the main desk to their side, tapped a pen against her palm, making up for the height difference with a quiet indignation. "Shion-san, kindly get out, and take your noisy friend with you."

* * *

"So . . . you didn't do it?" Miku twirled a strand of hair around her finger, staring down at Rin from her perch on the meter-high wall.

Rin took a step back, gaze riveted on the foliage on the ground. "Well, I c-called, b-but . . . w-we didn't actually ta-talk at all . . . ."

Miku leaned back and swung her legs, bracing her body with arms on either side. "It's fine. You did your best yesterday, didn't you? Please don't present such a worried countenance. I'm your friend, aren't I?" She turned her gaze from the sky back to Rin, quiet understanding twinkling in her eyes. "If there's someone you shouldn't be scared of, it's your friend, right? I'm here to support you, one hundred percent!"

Rin laughed, an easy smile turning up the corners of her lips. "Yeah, that's right. We're friends, Miku-nee!" She paused, a look of surprise settling on her face. "A-ah, t-that—oh, t-the stutter's back . . . ."

Miku slid down from the wall and brushed off her skirt. "Congratulations, Rin-chan! Today's best will be better than yesterday's; this is our new motto, okay? Think about it tonight, if you want to try again."

The pair picked up their bags and half finished lunches in silent agreement to move to a more comfortable place.

"O-oh, that's right! I w-worked more on my a-application entry yesterday! I f-finished a verse of harmonies . . . ."

As she walked into the library, listening to Rin chatter freely, Miku couldn't be happier. (But maybe that was because of the embrace of warm air that greeted them when they opened the door.)

* * *

Author's Notes: I wanted this story to have a light-hearted feeling to it, like a shoujo manga or something! So I hope it's kind of like that already. Also, I'm experimenting with putting those dates in the front of the scenes where the date changes. It's kind of a cheap way to make up for my lack of description of the setting, haha. Anyway, I'll try for weekly updates!


	2. Chapter 2

This is four days late; sorry about that! I had a lot of weird chronological problems and spats with my characters. But a good side effect is that I have chapter three mostly written, so I'm expecting to be able to publish the next chapter by the coming Saturday and get back on track. (Chapter four may be a bit late, though, since I have none of that written and still have to fix up chapter three a bit.)

* * *

**Wednesday, November 13, 2013.**

Len pressed the X-acto knife down, tracing the line he had drawn on the paper. Reaching a curve, he readjusted his grip and leaned forward. Tracing curves were still a bit tricky for him, even though he'd been doing this since he was a first year in junior high. It was a bit disappointing, but at least he no longer had to resort to using scissors.

He tilted the knife—careful, careful—almost done—

On his right, his cell phone rattled its way off the desk and fell to the wooden floor with a crash.

Len swore, eyeing the ugly wound he had made in the rabbit cut-out's side. Maybe he was being a bit lazy, but he really didn't want to make a new one. He capped the knife and set it down with a sigh.

What was he thinking, putting the phone so near the edge of the desk? And how could he forget to put it on silent? So careless!

. . . But never mind that! Who would call so late at night?! Len rubbed his forehead and took a slow breath. Those kinds of thoughts—anyway, Kaito did say that he should start by practicing calming down when he was alone . . . . Although, he thought he was pretty calm when he was alone already. But it was more like he was pondering the meaning of his existence, or the role of fate in his life, or what he would do before he started his homework the next day—wait, Kaito . . . and that phone call?

. . . Ah. He leaned down to pick up his phone, which had stopped vibrating who knows how long ago, and pulled his chair toward him. Plopping down, Len entered his passcode and thumbed the "return call" button. He noted the city code at the start of the phone number. So, this person wasn't from his area, huh? But Kaito did reassure him that the person was from their school . . . . Well, he supposed it wasn't that unlikely, for people to come from farther away to attend their school. It was a prestigious school, after all.

His phone was at least on the sixth ring already, and the other person still hadn't picked up. How slow was this person? What the hell . . . . Just as he decided to press the end call button and try again, the call went through.

A static-ridden sigh rushed into his ear. He ventured, "Moshi-moshi? Is this the person who called last night?"

Nothing but more breaths. He waited, lips pressed into a thin frown. If this was a prank call . . . .

"M-mo-moshi moshi!" Finally. He blew a stray hair away from his face, but it fell back into place. "Y-yes! I-I-I'm terribly sorry about ye-yesterday! I-If it—" the girl on the other side mumbled something he couldn't catch "—you . . ."

He switched the phone to his left hand and began stacking the papers on his desk. "Why do you sound so scared? It's not like I'll hurt you or anything, you know. What a bother."

"A-ah! I-I'm s-so-sorry! I-I-I—"

"Oi, calm down. I can't understand you if you're stuttering like that." His lips twitched upwards. "You'd like to stay anonymous, right?"

"Y-y-yes, please, if that's n-not t-too much t-trouble . . . ."

Len temporarily abandoned the unorganized pile of papers on his bed. "Then, I'll call you Bunny-san, alright? You remind me a lot of a scared rabbit." Oh, he hadn't meant to say that last part. He frowned as he folded the cutting mat and pushed it to the left side of his desk.

"A-ah, o-okay . . ." Oh, she was pretty forgiving, to not react to being called scared. "T-then, I . . . ."

He moved the stack of papers from his bed to on top of the cutting mat. The pile's haphazard stacking bothered him—maybe he should attempt to straighten it? But with only one hand . . . . Why wasn't Bunny-san saying anything?

"Then, you what?" He tapped a finger against the metal handle of his knife. Maybe he should go out for replacement blades . . . ? It was getting a bit dull with all the textblock cutting he was doing . . . . Eh, he'd put it away later. "Oi, you're wasting my minutes, you know."

"I-I'm sorry, Tiger-san!" So _now_ she responded right away. Hmph. But, her voice grew fainter although she was practically shouting the words—was she bowing? And, that name . . .

"Did you just call me Tiger-san?" Was he really that scary? He switched the phone back to his right hand and leaned back to stare at the ceiling, biting the inside of his cheek to lock his mouth into a frown. "Oi, why am I a tiger?!"

"N-n-neverm-mind, T-tiger-san!"

"If you're going to keep calling me that, you better tell me! Is it because you think I'll eat you? Tigers don't eat bunnies, you know!" (Wait, that was a lie.)

"N-no, t-they do! I think, anyway . . . ?"

". . . Whatever. But I'm not going to eat you." Len stretched his arms over his head, yawning. "I don't like to eat bunnies for dinner. They're too cute."

"A-ah, s-so—"

Ah! Wasn't that an indirect compliment?! Stupid! "I mean, I like bunnies! I used to have one, but he died! He was really cute—before he died, I mean—and I watched him grow up! I-It's not l-like—" Great. Now he was stuttering as well. He fell silent and took a few breaths.

Bunny-san didn't say anything for a while. Neither did he.

Hmm, his room looked really boring. Maybe if he bought a new bookshelf or something? Or maybe he should expand into book-carving, so he'd have something to display other than journals and notebooks? Wait, why would he even display things? No one would really see it—was Bunny-san even still there?

Len sighed. This was all too idiotic. He should just say something—

"I-I, ah . . . I'm sorry about your pet."

He ran a hand through his hair and tucked that stupid loose strand behind his ear. "That's it?" After this silence, that's all she could think to say?

"W-well, I've never h-had a pet, s-so, I c-can't really . . . I can't r-really . . . ? N-nevermind! S-sorry! I-I have to go now! B-bye!"

And then, the dial tone. Wasn't that much too quick?! Not even a second of silence before hanging up! How rude! Len huffed and lowered his phone.

Whatever. It was getting late anyway, and he had planned to finish the cover of the book before he went to bed. But now that he had semi-cleaned up, he didn't feel like continuing. He really should have removed himself from the desk before he'd started to impulsively clean it . . . .

The bunny cut-out with the rip in its side caught his eye. Well, maybe he could patch it up with a small square of origami paper, or maybe some washi tape. It'd have an even nicer stitched feel to it, especially if he could just get the colors right . . . .

* * *

**Friday, November 15, 2013.**

Rin hunched down in her seat and leaned against the classroom wall, cradling the phone against her ear and listening to the rings. Even though it was already Friday, somehow, she felt like it was still Monday . . . .

Miku glanced around the room at the clusters of first years eating their lunches and turned her attention to Rin's phone. "Rin-chan, maybe it would be better for you to hold it in your right hand? So that it's near the wall, right? I mean, if you want to be inconspicuous?"

"A-ah, y-yes . . . ." Rin did as Miku suggested. Just then, indistinct conversation floated into her ear—Tiger-san had answered the call.

"—fine! Ah, moshi moshi. Why are you calling me?"

Rin shifted closer to the wall and mumbled, "M-moshi moshi. T-tiger-san, I'm r-returning the book. T-the library book."

"Speak louder, will you? I can barely hear you."

Rin licked her lips and nudged the book on her desk farther away from her with a trembling hand. "A-ah, y-yes! I-is this b-be-better?"

For a while, only the surrounding chatter filtered in. Then, in a monotone: "Your stutter got worse, Bunny-san."

"A-ah! I-I'm sorry!" Rin glanced up from the book to Miku, who bit into her onigiri and offered her an encouraging smile. Feeling the clamour in her gut settle down just a bit, Rin let out a huff of nervous laughter. "A-anyway, you wrote your number in a b-book, right? I've fi-finished . . . finished reading it, s-so . . . do—do you . . . want . . . to . . . erase it . . . ?" Her eyes darted toward her senpai. Miku raised her hands to the top of her head, forming an O with her arms. _Good!_

Meanwhile, Tiger-san sighed. "Stupid," he muttered. Then, louder, he said, "Ah, yes. Thanks for asking; please erase it before turning it in."

"It's . . . in p-pen." Rin clenched her phone tighter and imagined the words solidifying her gut, unwavering despite the storm. "It's in pen."

"I don't see the problem." Tiger-san huffed. Rin frowned and bit her lip. "Just scratch it out."

Rin pulled the phone away from her ear and covered the speakerphone with her left hand. "H-he . . . wants m-me . . . to—t-to . . . ." Look at her, speaking Japanese as clumsily as she spoke English! Straightening her pose and bowing awkwardly, Rin threw out in one breath, "He-wants-me-to-scratch-it-out."

Miku stared, uncomprehending for a second, but then nodded. "Then, if you don't want to do that, Aria-chan—Wakusei Aria-chan—can take care of it. And, please get up! There's—there's really no need to bow."

Rin straightened again, flushing slightly. She moved to speak, but Miku motioned to Rin's phone.

Ah! She was still on the phone! Was Tiger-san speaking?! She hurriedly put the phone by her ear again. "—stake. I really don't care at all." The voice was thin with distance—Tiger-san was addressing someone else—but grew louder. "Hey, are you there?"

" S-sorry!" Rin bowed her head, eyes habitually closing. "Y-yes! I'm here!"

Tiger-san exhaled. Ahh, that was the third time! She squirmed in her seat and resisted the urge to switch her phone back to her left hand. "If you don't want to do it, turn it in as it is." His voice grew faint again. "Oi, don't laugh! That was a reasonable guess!"

A girl's voice in the background. "We pract . . . times. How could . . . wrong?"

"I got confused! I don't do well under pressure!" A short pause. "A-ah, just, please give me back my quiz!—Bunny-san, I have to go now. Let's talk later—Oi! Naka—"

Then, the dial tone droned through. Rin closed her phone, setting it next to the library book. Somehow she felt like she'd been wrongly brushed aside . . . . She shut her eyes and let out a lungful of air, willing the tension from her body.

A hand mussed her hair. Rin squeaked and ducked down, hands shooting up to cover her head. "Miku-nee!"

Miku giggled but retracted her hand. "A-ahh?" Rin eyed her with a vague goodnatured resentment. "Don't laugh . . . ."

Miku lowered her hand from her mouth, revealing the vestiges of a grin. "Apologies, Rin-chan. You reminded me of my brother, and I try not to pass up a chance to ruffle his hair. Anyway, shall we go to the library now?"

Rin looked down at her unopened bento. Her eyes darted toward the book, and then to the hands at her lap. "A-ah . . . . I-I should, b-but . . . ."

"But . . . ?"

Rin shook her head. "N-no, nevermind! L-let's go!" She put her hands on her desk and moved to get up, but Miku put a hand on her shoulder and pressed down gently.

"No, I want you to say it." Miku stared at Rin, eyes unwavering. "Please say it."

"I-I . . . I . . . " Rin bowed down abruptly. "I'm sorry! I would—I w-would like to—" to eat lunch? But, wasn't that saying she didn't want to be with Miku? "—I, ah, e-exams? N-no, I m-mean . . . A-ah, sorry . . . ."

Miku exhaled and patted Rin's head. "Sorry for pushing you, Rin-chan. If you don't want to go, just say the truth. 'I should study,' or 'I would like to finish my lunch,' right? I won't feel bad. But, thanks for trying so hard for me."

"M-miku-nee—"

"It's fine." Flashing her a shadow of a smile, Miku stood up and began to pack up her bento. "I have to talk with Aria-chan. Since I have plans after school, I'll see you next week."

"W-wait!" Rin stumbled out of her seat, tripping over her feet. Miku caught her and helped her back upright. "Miku-nee—"

"Rin-chan, it's okay." Miku frowned, eyebrows drawing together slightly. "It's really not anything to worry about, alright? So, don't trip yourself up about it."

"A-ah . . . ." Rin wrung her hands, unable to meet Miku's eyes. "O-okay . . . . H-hey, on M-monday—" She looked up, and her words crumpled inward.

Miku had already left.

* * *

Rin stared at the screen of her laptop, eyes painfully dry. She mouthed the words that flashed across her vision. _Hey, what do I do? It doesn't matter anymore . . . ._

The door creaked open and Lily padded in with a tray of steaming tea. "Hey, little sister."

Rin half closed her laptop and put it aside. "Lily-nee." She slid off her bed and knelt at one end of the low table in the center of her room.

Lily followed suit on the other end, setting down the tray. "I thought you might want some tea."

Strange . . . . Nevertheless, Rin smiled. "T-thanks. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Lily laughed, but her forehead crinkled slightly and seemed to lend her a more melancholy air. "There was no inconvenience, little sister." She lifted the teapot and smoothly poured out two cups. "So, what's up?"

Stalling for time, Rin lifted her cup by the rim—ah, even that was hot!—and blew at the surface of the liquid in short puffs. Taking a quick sip, she muffled a small 'ah' of surprise at the hint of sweetness that smoldered across her tongue. "Lily-nee, why jasmine tea?"

Lily looked at her own cup. "Does . . . does it taste alright?"

Considering that the tea, at full pot, was already a burnt honey color . . . . "I-it's a little on—on the bitter side." Seeing Lily droop slightly, she hurried on, "But i-it's not bad! I just—just, don't like really bitter things, is all. I mean, it's not that bitter . . . !"

Lily grinned. "It's okay. Thanks, Rin-chan. I'll do my best to improve!"

"Ehh, but why jasmine tea?" Rin took another sip. An orange would definitely be a sweet treat after this . . . .

"Nevermind that!" A blush splashed itself across Lily's cheek. "A-anyway, don't change the subject, little sister! I asked about how you were feeling, remember?"

Rin rubbed at her eyes, willing them to stay dry. "Ah, yeah. I'm . . . I'm okay."

"Ah, then that's good." Lily drank a bit of her tea. She muttered, "Mmn, it's _really_ bitter . . . ." Raising her voice, she said, "Rin-chan, the music you were playing was really loud."

Rin flinched. "S-sorry, I d-didn't know you w-were home."

"No, no, it's fine. It's just that usually you listen to more mellow songs, right?"

"Nn. But . . . today, Miku-nee was d-disappointed in me, b-because I couldn't turn her d-down. So, I-I thought . . . . m-maybe, if I listened to louder so-songs, I would—would also become stronger."

Lily laughed suddenly. Rin looked up, startled. "Sorry, it's just . . . I was worried. But Rin-chan is just being Rin-chan, so—I'm sorry; I mean, I'm glad you're not depressed. I was worried, because the songs you were listening to were so loudly despairing."

A car alarm began to blare outside. Loudly despairing? Rin gazed at her tea and took another sip. The more she drank the better it tasted, but it still hurt. "I-I thought they were r-really cool-sounding, or—or s-something like that?"

"Yeah, yeah! I mean, they are, but they're also so full of longing! I was surprised, and thought that zero—" She broke off suddenly and gave a nerve-filled laugh. "Y-yeah, forget that."

Zero? A bow? Or maybe 'rei' was the beginning of a friend's family name? Rin exhaled and tried to blink away the weight on her eyelids. "Sorry for worrying you."

Lily eyed her for a moment. "Yeah, it's okay. I'd rather have false alarms than not notice at all . . . . Do you want some dinner?"

Rin shifted out of her kneeling position and stretched out her legs. "I . . . don't f-feel very hungry."

Lily took a breath as if she were preparing to say something and then released it as if she had changed her mind. She rose to her feet and picked up the tray. "Okay, then. I'll save your portion for tomorrow, okay?"

". . . Yeah."

"Bring down the cup when you're done, too."

". . . Mm."

"Tell me if you need anything, as well."

Rin ran her index finger down the crack between two floorboards. ". . . Okay."

The click of the door left Rin to drown in her thoughts.

* * *

**Saturday, November 16, 2013.**

Kaito let out a laugh and flapped his hand. "Don't worry, don't worry! Chances of malfunction are next to zero—Ku-kun said it, and I trust Ku-kun."

"And cut! Kaito, everything about you shrieks of mockery! Channel that inner assuredness, that inner glow of heaven's-on-your-side!" Gakupo waved his hands in an all encompassing gesture. "Pull all the positivity of the world into your mannerisms!"

"Ou—" The opening bars to Chopin's Waltz Op. 64 No. 2 burst into the air. "—Gakupo-sensei, that's, ah, that's my phone. Can I get it?"

Gakupo scowled. "Fine, fine. It better be quick, and next time, tell your friends not to call! This school most definitely is a place to leave behind the mundane cloak of the normal life—"

"Sorry, sensei." Kaito grinned and schooled his face into one of vague abashedness. "I'll be getting the phone now."

He leapt off the stage, tuning out the last bits of his theatre teacher's speech, and picked up his phone.

Ahh, it was Miku! Since she didn't call very often anymore, it was either good news or spectacularly bad news. He hoped it was the former. "Moshi-moshi, Miku?"

"Yes, moshi-moshi, Kaito-kun." Ahh, she used honorifics . . . . Kaito furrowed his brow. "I was scouted yesterday, at the karaoke session."

"Really? Ahh, I'm relieved! Congratulations! Who'd you get scouted by?"

"Nagimiso Yuuma-san, from Crypton. But, it's only an invitation for a contest."

"Aah, I see." Somehow, Miku sounded tired. Kaito flexed his free hand and cast about for something to say. "So . . . when is the first round?"

"It's next week."

"N-next week? Isn't that . . . ah, but this is great! All your hard work is bearing fruit. But, you don't seem to care for it at all?"

". . . Ah, I'm not ungrateful, but . . . when I think about it, I feel like I'm falling."

Falling, huh . . . ? "I don't understand. I'm sorry."

"Then . . . right now, I'm thinking something like, 'This is a once-a-lifetime opportunity! I'm lucky to get it!' But . . . so many things can go wrong, right? I don't—what if I can't handle it? I don't feel—like I-I'm re-ready at all—all—" Miku broke off, taking a couple of shaky breaths. "S-sorry. I'll—be fine."

"Ah . . . ." Kaito ran a hand through his hair. What to say . . . ? "Right now . . . don't worry about what others will say. At the moment, they don't matter. If you look right in front of you, you can move forward again. Forget everything." He laughed softly. "That's what Gakupo-sensei said about stage fright, anyway. I'll definitely be cheering for you, so . . . ." He took a breath and steeled his nerves. "If it helps . . . on that day, please sing only to me."

Miku huffed out a breathy laugh. "Th-thanks, Kaito."

Kaito smiled, channelling his nervousness away from his voice with a soft exhale. "I'll see you Monday, then. We actually have things to discuss, so I hope you didn't make any plans with Masuda-san."

"Ah, about Rin-chan, she—she called me a lot yesterday after school. I didn't pick up, because I was at the karaoke meet, right? I didn't hear the ringtone. But, I haven't called her back yet."

Kaito frowned. "She's probably worrying a lot over it. It's really cruel of you to leave her in such suspense—"

"I know."

"—Why didn't you call her back earlier this morning?" It wouldn't be too rude to call around nine, when many people would be already out of bed.

Miku blew static into his ear with a deep sigh. "I'm being selfish, but . . . the truth is . . . it's . . . it hurts, to talk to her. I don't know what's wrong with me." Miku laughed humorlessly. "I became annoyed, during lunch yesterday, even though it's not right to feel like that."

Kaito took a breath, intending to interject his disagreement, but she continued. "She's so shy—even though she tries so hard. Timidness isn't—isn't something you overcome so easily, right? I know that, but I still felt annoyed. Even though I also feel uneasy sometimes, how can . . . how can she be so scared that she can't even say no to me?"

"Mm, maybe . . . it's just . . . something like, you know she's holding herself back, and you want the best for her, but you can't do anything to help her become the greatest she can be? So, you feel annoyed. And Masuda-san thinks very highly of you, so it might be that she's scared of disappointing you . . . something like that." Kaito laughed. "But I'm only an actor, so these things . . . are probably not accurate, you know?"

On the other end of the line, the wind crackled like autumn leaves being crushed. "I don't know. Maybe those things are correct, right?"

"Yeah. 'It can be, if you believe it so.'" Kaito quoted one of his character's lines. He turned to face the stage and watched Gakupo micro-adjust his co-star's acting. Every movement—every syllable—mattered . . . .

Miku coughed a little, and they stood in silence for a moment longer. "Hey, aren't you at prep school?"

"Oh, yeah, I am. But it's not a problem if I'm talking t—" He stopped. 'It's not a problem if I'm talking to you.' Saying something like that would be too daring, wouldn't it? Even though it didn't necessarily have romantic connotations . . . . "For less than five or ten minutes."

"Ah, so it's like that? But it's been a while already, and I should call Rin-chan back now. Thanks for listening, Kaito. Then, I'll see you Monday?"

"Yeah. See you Monday."

* * *

Author's Notes: A cultural note about moshi-moshi! It means hello, but it's believed that demons can only say moshi once, so when people talk over the phone, they say moshi twice to assure the other person that they're not demons. And also, the arms forming an O thing that Miku did is a Japanese gesture for okay or yes (but I may have used it wrong and also translated it to mean good). Yeah, since thumbs up isn't used unless it's toward foreigners. So I couldn't use that. Even though I wanted to. I learned these from a quick google search, so if I was misled, please mention it.

I also learned right after I published chapter one that I was misled about ellipses, which are in fiction supposed to be... and not . . . . I hope no one minds if I just keep doing the thing with the spaces since I want to be consistent and don't want to go through and fix all the errors. Or I can start doing it correctly if the spaces bother you guys. It's not much trouble if someone nudges me into doing it, haha.

I snuck some plays on words and puns into this! There's two in the Miku and Rin scene on Friday, and there's also a double meaning in the Friday Masuda sisters scene. And there's some other stuff as well, I think, but I forgot where those were. ^^;; Please tell me what you find!

Speaking of the Friday Masuda sisters scene, jasmine tea is an aphrodisiac and a sedative. It's also slightly acidic, so it's best not to drink it on an empty stomach, and it's also used in northern China as a way to welcome guests (which is at first why I chose it even though it didn't make much sense, but now I picked it because it's an aphrodisiac, which better fore_shadow_s (lol) some character introductions). And it's a little sweet and has a really nice scent. Yeah.

For those of you taking APs and finals, good luck! I hope you enjoyed this!

Last last minute edit: OMG, I was trying to publish this and I realized that I forgot how to add a chapter lol but it was only for a second, so all is well.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! I'm back after . . . two months! Time really flies quickly, doesn't it?! This summer's on the busier side for me, but I'll definitely still be updating. Please forgive the incredible untimeliness of this chapter's release. I worked very hard on this chapter and the next chapter, which is complete beside some last minute tweaking and maybe an additional scene. I know that the last time I said that, I didn't update for two months, but this time I guarantee it'll be up within a week of this update! Two to three days. GUARANTEE. Well, maybe more like 90.99%, because I have some pressing matters to deal with regarding government things. and may not have time? In any case, please look forward to it!

EDIT: Wait, two months since the first chapter was posted . . . so, almost two months. ^^;;

* * *

**Sunday, November 17th, 2013.**

"Oi, who are you looking at?!" Len glared at the middle aged man sitting near where he stood. The man hastily redirected his gaze, paling and balling up his hands on his lap. The other passengers standing around them shuffled uncomfortably and glanced at the man. "Yeah, that's right," Len grumbled as he hid a rude hand gesture inside his right hand jacket pocket.

The bus stuttered to a stop. Shrugging his shoulderbag into a more comfortable position, Len slipped off the bus and shook his hair from his face. His hair band was loose from a year of stretching and unstretching, so it had fallen off during one of the bumpier parts of the ride, leaving his hair to fall loose around his shoulders. He hadn't thought to bring a spare hair tie, either, so now he had to traipse to the organization center and deal with the meddling gusts of wind that gamboled about like hyperactive children.

Tch. Whatever. He ran his fingers through his hair and strode down the street, sweeping past the shop windows without even a cursory glance at their glowing offerings. If anything caught his eye, he'd go take a closer look and browse everything in the sales racks as well, and would end up being spectacularly late. He slowed for a moment in front of supermarket but decided against going in—he could buy flour later.

After walking a few more blocks, he rounded a corner, where the familiar two-story building he volunteered (or worked, if getting a little bit of money qualified his work as a job) at greeted him with its squat gray windows and telltale gigantic welcome sign hanging on the ajar door. Funny how a building could look so unattractive. He stopped and turned toward the nearby shop's showcased goods (don't look, don't look), casually pulling out his phone.

9:27 AM. Mm, good. He had five minutes to think of a class plan—sure, class started at 9:30, but he could afford to be a couple of minutes late.

He could hear his mom's exasperated sigh in his mind and involuntarily twitched an eyelid. She wasn't even with him and she was still hounding him—what a pain. Forget plans—he'd ask for suggestions from the students and improvise.

He returned his phone to his jacket pocket as he walked briskly to the door and into the center. Assaulted by a wall of air colder than that of outside, Len suppressed a sudden shiver. Tsk, the air conditioning was on again? Maybe he should have worn more layers . . . .

"Hey, Kagami-baka Len-san." The dark-skinned girl who stood behind the reception desk greeted him with a small smile. "I'll give you a five-percent smile, since you're not late today."

Len twitched one corner of his mouth. "Here: a one-percent smile in return." He stalked over to her and eyed the sign-in sheet that lay on the countertop. Where was the pen? "Kama-tamago Merli-senpai, gimme the pen."

"Hn? Egg? Look, don't mess with your senpai's name!" Nevermind that she just messed with his name, and that she also ignored his request. Len eyed the air conditioning above their heads, saying flatly,

"It sounds better than Kagami-baka, Kamata-senpai." Come to think of it, such an insult could also be turned back to the speaker. Ahh, the perks of having "mirror" in his family name . . . . Len fought to keep his face free of mirth.

Merli frowned but changed the subject back to the pen. "Anyway, you should be better prepared. Shouldn't the art teacher, of all people, always have a pen on hand?" Merli looked down at him expectantly.

Len huffed. That expectation was unfounded! But, he did have a pen; he just didn't want to dig around for it. "Ten-percent frown," he announced, and gave her a little frown. "What, do you want me to say please or something?" He pressed his lips together, but a ghost of a smile still flitted past.

She flushed slightly and bunched her hair up into a ponytail. "As if; are you really such an idiot?" She looked away and coughed delicately.

Len ignored the barb. Now of all times, Merli was playing the pantomime game? He really had no time for this! Nevertheless, he considered her position—she hadn't made a move to finish tying up her hair. "You're asking about my hairstyle today?"

Merli let her hair cascade back down and flicked his forehead. "Dimwit, took you long enough."

Len laughed a touch derisively and took a step away from the counter. "You're the dumb one here. Why make a game out of it? Any other person would have just asked."

Merli huffed, bright eyes narrowing. "You also play along, so don't you call me childish! I was doing you a favor, idiot. It's windy outside and you decide to let down your hair? It's not Showcase-Your-Lack-Of-Foresight Day."

Len took a heated breath. "Oi—"

Merli exhaled sharply and spoke over him. "Whatever. You're lucky I have a spare hair band. Here; it's the ugliest of the pack, so I don't want it." She tossed a plain black hair band onto the sign in sheet.

He didn't move to pick it up, a little stunned by how fast she switched from insulting him to helping him.

"Well?" She crossed her arms and, turning up her nose ever so slightly, looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind Len. "Dummy, class is starting. I'll sign you in this once, okay? Next time, bring a pen! It's bothersome, so hurry up and go."

Len sighed and snatched up the hair band. Mumbling a grudging thanks, he made his way to his classroom.

* * *

Len sat at his temporary desk and rummaged through his bag. When he hefted it this morning, it seemed significantly heavier—hey, who put in that jar of water?! And in a glass container, too . . . . Len sighed. But since he was doing watercolor and he forgot to bring cups to fill with water, it wasn't completely useless.

"Hey, hey, Teacher! Teaaacher!" Ryuto whisper-shouted, jumping from his seat. "You look like a girl today, Teacher!"

The kid danced to the front of Len's desk and leaned over the desk so that his face, flushed red and softened with its hat of tousled, sharp green, obscured much of Len's vision. A gaping smile revealed the loss of yet another tooth. "I like it this way, though—it's contrasting!"

Len let out an involuntary, "What?" He hastily added, "Get out of my face already, Ryuto-kun. And put on a jacket—it's cold in here."

"It's surprising, like Nee-chan's is in the morning," Ryuto exclaimed as he pulled away and plopped back into his seat, which was next to a seat piled with jackets. " 'I wanna have hair like that,' is what I always think! Isn't it cool, Aicchi? Nn, I think Aicchi'd look great with short hair! Too bad we can't switch hairstyles . . . ." As Ryuto continued to chatter, Len raked a hand through his hair with a sharper motion than he had intended. He bit back a curse. Ryuto gave her a new nickname, huh?

The layer of jackets fell away abruptly as a young girl with black hair tied into pigtails shot into a rigid sitting position. "Y-yes! Kai Yuki here! I swear I wasn't sleeping, Kagamine-sensei!"

"It's fine." He smiled to accent his point. Yuki looked around the room, a little disoriented. Len picked off some loose strands of blond hair caught between his fingers and dropped them into the trashcan. If this continued, by his next birthday, he'd be seventeen and bald . . . . He tied up his hair with a quick twist of his wrist and wiggled his students' water-warped sketchpads out of his bag.

Meanwhile, Ryuto pouted and prodded Yuki with an exaggerated movement. "Aicchi, didn't you hear what I said? And you dropped my jacket—"

"Sorry, sorry!" She snatched it off the ground. Leaning over to drape it over her classmate, she patted it down around his shoulders. "You were talking about hairstyles, right? I heard, I heard! But I was sleeping, so I thought you were Kagamine-sensei, because I was dreaming—"

"Ah? Dreaming about Teacher?" Ryuto scrunched up his nose. "Nee-chan says that means certain death!"

Yuki drew back. "Ryucchan, that's a really mean thing to say."

"Wah, I didn't say it! Nee-chan did!"

As his two students continued their lighthearted arguing, Len laid out the last set of watercolor brushes. Idly spinning a thin brush and dropping it, handle down, into the opened jar of water, he wondered when he'd be ousted from the job. After all, he was only really good at making lazy print patterns and vague watercolor doodles. Surely they could have already found a better high school artist than him. He said, half to himself, "Let's begin now."

Yuki patted the Hello Kitty pillow in her lap. "Mou, it's cold again."

Ryuto pulled his pink jacket tighter around his shoulders. "That's why I have my lucky jacket! Nee-chan says it gives off heat, because it's a really hot pink. It's kinda stupid and I don't believe her or anything, but it saved her from freezing to death before." Len tried not to smile. Gumi really was mean, trying to dupe her younger brother like that. Didn't she know he was too old for those things now?

"What, really?" Yuki leaned forward in her seat, hugging her pillow to her body. Len put his hands to his mouth, hiding a soft laugh in the veneer of keeping warm. "That's cool! I don't think it's that stupid." She patted Hello Kitty's ear. "But we should keep that a secret, right? It's really flashy."

Ah, it was already ten past nine. Len sighed in resignation and sat straighter in his seat. If only he could just sit here and just watch them for the whole time! But, especially since he was getting paid, he couldn't slack off even more. Even with the pay being almost negligible, he had to turn out some kind of results. "Oi, pay attention! I'm taking requests today, so tell me what you want to draw."

Ryuto snickered. "So you were too lazy to prepare something, Teacher?"

Len tapped his fingers against his sketchbook, blue eyes flashing as they met vibrant green. "It's not that at all—"

"Don't lie to us; it's really mean of you." Ryuto pouted and let some of his hair fall cutely in front of his eyes. Tilting his head a fraction, he muttered, "You help too, Aicchi." Yuki flushed slightly and shook her head emphatically.

. . . They weren't cute at all. Len flipped his brush so that it was right side up and stirred, clicking it against the sides of the glass. "I'll tell your older sister if you don't behave, Ryuto-kun."

Ryuto froze and semi-dropped his act. "Ah?! Mean! Mean mean mean! Teacher's so mean, I'll say it four times! Nee-chan's gonna make me recite solubility rules if you tell! And I don't remember all of them! I'll behave, so don't tell!" He flapped his sleeves wildly, almost hitting Yuki.

"Hey! Ryucchan, stop it! Didn't you hear Kagamine-sensei? Behave yourself!"

Len bit the inside of his cheek. No grinning—he had to be stern. Exhaling a poorly masked laugh, he muttered, "This is going to be a long hour . . . ."

* * *

Len stared at his picture, hoping that it'd look right if he willed it to. He had the feeling that his students were a little disappointed in him today. But it wasn't like he looked at Hello Kitty that much, so it made sense that he'd be bad at drawing her . . . but he did have that pillow to use as a reference. He slumped forward slightly. The slightly trembling pout Yuki tried to hide . . . He really had to improve his sketching skills.

"What are you doing, dummy?" A hand fell onto his head, slightly mussing up his carefully combed hair.

Len frowned and tilted his head away. He'd rather not have any flyaway hair. "Hands off. I'm trying to fix what's wrong." He gestured at Hello Kitty, who was frozen in an odd pirouette and was showing off a floating platter of cake. "Here, doesn't something look off?"

Merli leaned forward, lifting her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear and overwhelming Len with some sort of shampoo smell, the kind of fragrance that was supposed to smell like something but just ended up smelling pleasant. "Hmm . . . ."

"Oi," Len pushed a hand against her shoulder. "Personal space."

"That's a foreign concept." She withdrew, but then scooted onto his chair. "Move." Her eyes shifted to consider Hello Kitty's outstretched arms. "Why is Hello Kitty worshipping a cake?"

Len scoffed and vacated his chair, looming over his colleague and folding his arms. "Don't ask me. Ryuto-kun insisted on that. He thought it was hilarious."

". . . It's nightmarish." Merli flipped the paper over—was it that much of an eyesore?—and sat back, tilting her head back to meet his eyes.

Len scowled. "Yeah, well . . . ." Maybe she wasn't talking about his art but the content. His frown faded a fraction. "Yuki-chan wasn't happy with it either."

"No, no . . . I'm talking about your art!" Merli slammed a hand onto the paper and stood up. "This is why you should come to art prep with me! Because you suck at art!"

"Hey, wait a minute; I've been doing this for almost a year, and now you say that? I can do watercolor and I can pick colors—"

"Your sketching is subpar!"

"—so I can't be that bad—"

"Do it for the children!"

"—What? 'The children?' "

Merli pointed a finger at him. He took a step back. "Y-yeah! You've been wasting their time for most of the year now!"

"W-wait, wait—" That was really harsh . . . .

"This lame teaching has to end, so you have to come with me to prep class, okay? Mizki-senpai really knows what she's doing too! No, be quiet!"

Len twitched an eyebrow. "I didn't say anything yet!"

"Shut up, kohai! I should have spoken up earlier about this. Really, I should have! And you're also wasting so much money—"

"Wait, wait. I hardly spend any money on thi—"

"That's not a good thing!" Merli took another step forward, hands placed firmly on her hips. "Resistance is futile! Just submit already . . . ." Suddenly, Merli retreated and plopped back down into Len's seat. With eyes trained on the back of Len's sketch, she mumbled, "A-anyway, it's Tuesdays and Sundays after school. Here. This building. Look for Mizki-senpai." She glared up at him again, confidence sparking up again. "You better be there!"

An awkward silence shimmied in. Len sighed and moved to lean against the wall. He unzipped his jacket and tugged at the hem of his shirt, watching his feet. "Whatever; I'll go. Don't shout at me like that, senpai." He paused and looked up, observing how she had twisted her torso to keep him in her view. It seemed vaguely uncomfortable. "But I'm not paying."

"E-eh? Yeah, fine!" She waved a hand and returned to looking straight ahead, toward the stout cabinet standing in corner of the room. "I'll just take it out of your paycheck, you know."

"Oi!" Len left the wall's side and moved in front of her, placing a hand on his hip. "I said I wasn't paying! And why are you taking the money?"

"As if I'd keep it!" Merli huffed and stood up, staring down her nose at him. Len scoffed in return. Emphasizing height difference, huh? How undignified of her. She continued, "Of course I'll give it to Mizki-senpai. Also, you're the one taking the class. It's only natural that you'd be the one paying."

Len balked at this and rummaged for a quick answer. Stumbling slightly over his words, he exclaimed, "But you're the one who wants me to go, so you should pay! Anyway, you're hosting it, so—"

"Don't be so cheap and just pay it! It's _really_ cheap, okay?"

"Yeah?" Len shot back without missing a beat, "If that's the case, why don't you just pay?" He resisted the urge to stand on tiptoe as he matched her glare with one of his own.

"W-well, it's because . . . ." Merli's gaze flitted away. "It's because this class isn't a present! It's a requirement—take the class if you want to keep your job!"

What could he say to that? Ah! The failproof parent excuse! He backed away, dropping his hands into his pockets and looking at her from the corners of his eyes. "Actually, the truth is that my father won't let me. I mean, even if it's cheap. And, ah, this job isn't much of a job anyway, so I don't have any leverage . . . ."

"What's with that look?" Merli closed the distance between them, stopping a respectable distance away from him and staring him in the eye. "You're despicable, really despicable, Kagamine-san."

Taking another step back and staring at her nose, he rambled on, "And actually, it's bordering on too inconvenient to come out here, as well, for a class that's only one hour long and more like babysitting—"

"Hah?! Who's fault is that?! If I leave you to your own devices, this is what the class becomes! People don't want to join because of your lack of skill!"

"Wait a second! I'm trying to improve, you know!" He looked to the side, furrowing his brow. How to salvage this? "It's a slow process!" Wait, that wouldn't help—

"That's why I'm saying, take the class! It'll really help you, you know . . . . " Merli retreated once again and perched on Len's desk. She sighed with eyes half-lidded and fixated on something over his shoulder. "It can't be helped. I'll pay for now, you idiot."

"Ah?" What was with this sudden change in behavior? Though, it _was_ in his favor . . . .

"It's what you wanted, isn't it?" Merli looked at him, brow wrinkled a touch haughtily above her stony eyes.

"Ah, y-yeah. Thank you very much . . . ." He focused on the stylish gashes in the upper half of the sleeve of her shirt, the words faint in his ears.

She glared at him. "Stop spacing out like you can't believe it! I'm not a mean person . . . ." Silence slid in between them and began to snip at the fabric of their conversation. Merli chased it away with a sudden thought. "Oh, and I'm calling you to make sure that you're going, okay? You better not forget, idiot."

Len smiled faintly as he grounded himself in the situation. "Enough already. We never exchanged phone numbers; how would you reach me?"

Merli half-laughed, half-scoffed, but stood up and turned to go. "I can get your number from Father."

"Wait, wait"—she faced him, and he took care to soften his tone—"I said I'll go, so I'll go." He coughed and bowed abruptly. "Thank you for your kindness. I won't waste your money, Kamata-senpai!"

"Hmph." Merli turned up her nose at him but smiled slightly. "I wouldn't sign you on if I thought you would. Idiot."

He pulled up a smile that matched her own and straightened, wishing he was taller than her. "Hey, did you forget my name, Kamata-senpai?"

"I'll remember your name again when you're better at art. Until then, idiot." She exhaled softly and swept from the room.

Len watched the door, catching Merli's faint muttering beyond the wall. Wondering what she was muttering about, he straightened his bag and picked up his Hello Kitty drawing. So he had been demoted to 'idiot.' Hm. Not bad.

* * *

Author's Notes: These are a couple of things that began to bother me after a while, so I'll address them here.

On the word "research" in my summary: It's enough to float this story (with stuff like school starting on April 1st, teachers moving around instead of students, variable schedules . . . . a few random cultural notes, like common body language or customs or some belated weather information; the basics.), but not even close to enough for a published novel. I know very little, so if you spot anything wrong, please inform me of the correct stuff! I'll mention it in the next author's note if I can't fit it into the story or something.

On my use of untranslated Japanese honorifics and words: It's a stylistic choice. Usually I don't do it, but I find that Japanese words, when translated, sometimes don't have quite the same meaning or impact anymore. Sometimes I leave things untranslated because I found out something about it that I thought was cool (like the origin of _moshi moshi_). I hope you can forgive the wish fulfillment involved with that. Honorifics are such a huge part of Japanese culture that I felt that it wasn't an option for me to not include it, especially since I was/am writing a Japanese school setting.

The next chapter is Rin-centric, with somewhat of a Miku cameo! And also, there's a new character who refused to go away: I deleted his introduction scene. Twice. lol. I'm really fond of that guy for some reason. His personality, I mean. Of course I'm fond of everyone! But this guy, and the way he interacts with the people around him! It's really . . . er, anyway. He's actually not really that amazing on the surface. You could say that none of them are . . . . ^^;;

I hope you will continue to read and support this story! I look forward to hearing from you all!


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